Michael McIlorum ‘surprised’ by England recall

Michael McIlorum says he was surprised to get recalled for England by head coach Shaun Wane for the Combined Nations All Stars clash.

At 34-years-old, the Catalans hooker admitted that he thought his age could have played its part in Wane’s selection choices.

It’s been nine years since he last represented England, featuring at the 2013 Rugby League World Cup.

However, his club form has seen him earn a recall by his former Wigan coach.

With James Roby’s retirement from the international scene, it has left the door open for McIlorum to return to the England set-up after representing Ireland at the last World Cup in 2017. 

“It was a bit of a surprise,” McIlorum said. “I wasn’t expecting it, but I’m very happy to be in Shaun Wane’s thoughts. He explained what he wants from me, what he wants from the team and it’s something I feel I can contribute towards, so I’m very happy.

“It’s been going well this year but it was more my age that left me surprised I was in Waney’s thoughts. It’s nice to be getting recognised regardless of how old you are. I don’t really think about internationals a lot, I just concentrate on playing rugby for my club. But it’s nice to be recognised by an international coach.”

England face the Combined Nations All Stars as part of their preparation for the World Cup this Saturday in Warrington. It will be their penultimate fixture before the tournament opener, with a friendly against Fiji also set to go ahead in Rochdale later in October.

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